Hope of rail fares cut

RAIL fares could be cut as part of an experiment to encourage East Sussex commuters to leave their cars at home, Lewes MP Norman Baker told the House of Commons on Wednesday.

He said he had been told by the Go-Ahead group that it will consider suggestions he has made to lower fares on the Eastbourne-Polegate-Lewes and Seaford-Newhaven-Lewes lines to fill spare capacity.

Mr Baker on Wednesday received cross-party support in calling on the Government to improve local rail services in the South East.

In a debate he initiated, he called on the Government to help achieve lower local fares and improve the local rail service to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

Go-Ahead has told Mr Baker that it is prepared to look at his suggestions for a cut of up to 50 per cent on the Eastbourne-Polegate-Lewes and Seaford-Newhaven-Lewes lines.

The county and district councils have also said they would be willing in principle to help publicise such an experiment.

Mr Baker told MPs: 'Let us move away from the mindset that money spent on roads is an investment while money spent on rail is a subsidy.

He described the current train service as expensive, dirty and unreliable and listed infrastructure improvements he believes highly desirable, including:

l Re-opening the Lewes-Uckfield line as an alternative route to London.

l The bridging of the gap in the line between Polegate-Pevensey which would allow freight to be moved along the South East without it having to enter Eastbourne.

l The electrification of the Hastings-Ashford line to speed up connections to the Continent.

l A new station to service Newhaven for the purpose of both tourism and the movement of freight.

l Modernisation of the Keymer junction to prevent the almost constant delays.

Mr Baker said later: 'It is great to see MPs of all parties, the rail industry and local councils showing interest in fares and securing real improvements on our railways.

'It is sadly not an enthusiasm the Minister who responded to my debate seems to share.